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I probably didn't see Blue Thunder in theaters, because I was 12 and it has nudity, so I came to the police stealth combat helicopter concept through the short-lived television show the following year (Dana Carvey had the Daniel Stern role? Whaaaa?!) battling it out with Airwolf, which I also watched and which won and lasted three seasons. But I did see Blue Thunder: The Motion Picture on TV at some point. Watching it again for the first time in at least 30 years, it changes gears with every act. It starts as a specialized police procedural, then becomes a paranoid techno-thriller that's still current today (though I guess it would be drones now), and ends as a ridiculous action movie filled with chases and vehicular mayhem. Each tone has its value, but doesn't aside from the messy juxtaposition, tends to run with the most obvious cop movie clichés. Ultimately, it mostly coasts on Roy Scheider's immense charm.
11 months 3 weeks ago